Distribber aims at studio product

Marking Kuzui Enterprises’ bid to build on its distribution and co-production slate, former Silver Pictures and Steve Roth Prods. development executive Dana Roth has been named veepee of acquisitions and co-productions.

Roth’s mandate will be to increase the indie film and video distribution company’s involvement in studio-level, mainstream product.

Headed by the husband-and-wife team of chief executive officer Kaz Kuzui and Fran Rubel Kuzui, Kuzui Enterprises has specialized in the Japanese distribution of such art-house product as “Wild at Heart” and “Barton Fink.”

The appointment of Roth comes four months after Kuzui landed a $ 20 million joint venture deal with Japanese trader Nissho Iwai and advertising giant Sogei to cover film acquisitions and P&A costs for one year (Daily Variety, Oct. 28).

Already Japanese distributor of “The House of the Spirits,””The Nutcracker” and “Trois Coleurs,” it is anticipated Kuzui will be an active buyer at the coming American Film Market in Santa Monica.

Beyond acquisitions, Roth will also be involved in structuring co-productions with Tokyo-based investment banker Yuki Hirasawa.

Roth, a former Toronto-based attorney, was veepee of production for Steve Roth Prods.

She was story editor and director of development at WB-based Silver Pictures. She is not related to her former boss.